From the file of things you never want to hear your union rep say:
"But then people would call me and ask me to help them..."
Or:
"Well, it isn't as though any of us are here for the money."
Which can only elicit the response: "Yes, but I'd like to be." Or, defeating the purpose of the union entirely:
"Why don't you talk them about that, and if it works, let us know."
I'll do that. But it was best when I heard:
"We weren't involved in those negotiations."
Huh? Then who was involved? Did the administration negotiate with themselves? Or did you tell someone to negotiate themselves and let you know how it was going to go?
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The "it isn't as though any of us are here for the money" thing makes me want to scream. Ok, fine, we aren't out to be millionaires in this profession, which I suppose is the point, but *it is a job and we all do jobs for the money*. It's not a vocation; it's not a calling. It's a freaking job. And yes, getting paid is actually part of that. And why even have a union if the union doesn't understand that? God.
November 8, 2008 at 1:24 PMThe union here is a funny thing. There's a weird, reverse nostalgia going on where because things were once so bad, suggesting doing anything now is seen as radical and unnecessary.
November 8, 2008 at 9:01 PMAt the same time, there's a frustration that young faculty don't take part. On one hand, when new faculty do, they're met with incredulousnewss, and on the other, the union finds the notion of organizing or meeting distasteful.
Of course, when I arrived, the union rep described it glibly as a company union.
It's a pretend union.
November 9, 2008 at 7:39 AMPost a Comment